In the morning, Val went down to the lobby feeling well rested. The man was up already, washing dishes.

“Oh, you’re up already. Have somewhere to go?”

“... Yeah.” Val put the keys on the counter and walked towards the exit.

The man stopped her, “Missy, wait. I know I may be pushing boundaries here, but I can’t in good faith let you go out on your own.” Val turned to face the man. He had come out from behind the counter. “I used to be a guard. I protected the city from bandits and wild animals. I remember one time I was out on patrol, and I saw a young girl, just like yourself. I thought she was lost. I asked her if I could help bring her home, but she refused. Said she didn’t want to go home. I didn’t know what to do, so I just left. Told her to stay safe.” The man looked down. He seemed upset. “A week later, I was out in the forest. We were hunting a criminal. While I was out there, I heard a scream. I ran to see what it was, and it was that same girl. She had been stabbed. She laid there, bleeding onto the forest ground. I leaned down and held her, and then I cried. I cried a waterfall of tears. Soon after that, I left the force. I couldn’t handle it anymore. The guilt was too much. That’s around when I opened this inn.” The man leaned down and put his hand on her shoulder. He took out a piece of paper, “I received this today,” he held it up to Val. It was a flier about a lost child. The lost child was Val. “I don’t know exactly what you’re going through, or why you’re here, but I can’t let you go out there alone like this. Work here for a bit. I’ll pay you a fair sum. Then you can go home or somewhere else. But right now, it’s not safe.” The man looked Val directly in the eyes. She was crying. “If you want to, could you tell me what happened? Why are you out here?” Val was shaking.

Later that day, Val left the inn. She continued to the next city, alone. Her tears were yet to dry.